


Fools Gold

by AGreekDemigod



Category: Naruto
Genre: Actually his whole family is alive and they spent the holidays together, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, But only a bit, Co-workers, Fluff, Gay Uchiha Sasuke, He has a tiny crush on sakura but it lasts like, He likes to tease his little brother, He's also a total SIMP, Holidays, I mean it's a modern au but STILL, Kakairu are Naruto's dads, Love Confessions, M/M, Mentioned Haruno Sakura, Mentioned Uchiha Itachi, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Naruto is Just Naruto, No Uchiha Massacre, Older Characters, One-Sided Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, POV Uchiha Sasuke, Pining Uchiha Sasuke, Romance, Sasuke Uchiha is DENSE AF, Sasuke is NOT an orphan, Sasuke is so in love it's ridiculous, Sasuke thinks Naruto is straight can u believe, Secret Santa, Uchiha Clan - Freeform, Uchiha family, a bit of drama bc of the sulking but it aint that bad, a few weeks tops, because that's what he deserves, but not really, holiday theme, less than a month, mentioned kakairu, they are in their middle 20's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:20:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28776705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AGreekDemigod/pseuds/AGreekDemigod
Summary: “Shouldn’t you be with her now?” Sasuke said, and he hated how much effort it took him to say those words. How his voice cracked at the end. “So your efforts don’t go to waste,” he added, pitifully.And Naruto shrugged, as if he didn't care, as if she hadn't been the whole reason he had approached Sasuke in the first place.“Nah,” he replied and Sasuke can feel his gaze on him, burning his skin like the sun that not even the cool night air can soothe. “They aren’t.”
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 12
Kudos: 117





	Fools Gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shadow_Warrior](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_Warrior/gifts).



> This is a gift for Shadow_Warrior ^^ Hope you like it!
> 
> (And a quick thanks to my beta, as always)
> 
> Also: the work's title is based on a song by Fitz & The Tamtrums: "Fools Gold" and it's a BOP and I listened to it while writing this. It has the energy I imagined for this fic, but not its lyrics, so maybe check it out, it's a great song.

Night had already fallen when Sasuke got out of the restaurant.

It was soothing, to feel the cold sea breeze against his face, ruffling his hair and drowning the laughter and lively chatting from the inside, and Sasuke made sure to take in a lungful before making his way onto the poor lighted streets.

Finally alone and with no other but the moon around to witness, Sasuke let his tiredness finally take over his body, lowering the barriers he usually kept around other people. Getting rid of the polite smiles, witty remarks and so many other mannerisms required in social gatherings that Sasuke despised with passion.

Itachi would try to persuade him to be more sociable, to make more friends, to try to give people an opportunity instead of shutting them down before even getting to know them, and Sasuke would usually retort that his quick inspection to someone new was never wrong and that he was fine with being alone, that he actually preferred it.

But Sasuke had been wrong about many things lately and so he had decided to give this specific outing an opportunity, trying to finally get to know his co-workers in the hastily arranged christmas party on the last day of work before vacations. And it hadn’t been bad; Sasuke got to know more about his coworkers in a few hours than in the whole three years he had been working along them in the company, and discovered that even if he found himself more comfortable talking to only a handful of them, they were all decent people in general.

More importantly, he had quite enjoyed it, even if there had been times where he would have rather gone straight home and slept until the next morning instead.

Sasuke heard his aching back muscles crack as he raised his arms above him, fingers interlacing as he stretched, getting temporarily rid of all those little aches. He loosened his tie and fixed his jacket’s position over his shoulder and only then he let his mind wander into deeper thoughts, his eyes admiring the dark undulation of the ocean waves.

Two days from then he would be visiting his childhood home for christmas, just as he did every year without fail. The whole family would be there to spend the holidays together, from wayward cousin Obito to grumpy Uncle Madara, and Sasuke was not looking forward to the usual questions directed at him - questions and side comments voiced with the intention of catching him slipping and revealing a chunk of information that would give them something to gossip about.

His mom would say that it was only because they wanted to know more about him, that he was very secretive about his private life. Sasuke usually responded that they all were, it ran in the family.

“Not between us,” she would say and Sasuke would sigh, trying not to roll his eyes in front of her.

In all honesty, Sasuke did enjoy seeing them. It was just that, as the youngest adult member of the Uchiha family, Sasuke was constantly the centre of their worries. Worries that mostly focused on his love life and the lack of a ring on his finger. 

"Your parents were already engaged at your age."

"I can arrange a blind date for you, if you want?"

"You have never brought a boyfriend either…"

"Is there someone you are interested in at least?"

And the thing is that, Sasuke actually _was_ , that he had been interested in someone for quite some time now - a hopeless crush that would lead to nowhere and that Sasuke would never speak of out loud, especially to his family.

It was kind of pitiful, to fall for a straight guy, and Sasuke was very disappointed with himself for pining for a guy who was obviously smitten for Sasuke’s project partner.

A guy whose blue eyes looked at him as if he could actually _see_ him, a guy who smiled so honestly, and whose golden hair reflected his cheerful personality, bright like the sun itself.

Sasuke had first seen him hanging around Sakura, trying to impress her at first and when that failed, to at least make her laugh. He had taken him for an idiot, too dense to notice Sakura’s clear disinterest, until Naruto had turned his attention to him.

At first, Sasuke tried reminding himself that it was probably so he could get to Sakura through Sasuke, that Naruto probably didn’t even want to be his friend. But the way Naruto smiled at him and laughed Sasuke’s dry tone off instead of being intimidated by it, was unexpected. Not many of Sasuke’s co-workers tended to act that relaxed around him, and none of them had actually been at the end of Sasuke’s harsh words and rejection.

But Naruto didn’t seem to mind, he didn’t even seem to be affected and maybe that’s why Sasuke let him stay around him, if only because he was so very bewildered by his attitude that he didn’t know how to proceed.

Naruto didn’t waste any time. He would approach Sasuke anytime he could, making small talk in the middle of a hallway or searching for Sasuke so they could eat lunch together. Even when they were both busy to do more than cross gazes as they headed in opposite directions, Naruto always made sure to smile at him and wave.

But it was the small things that made Sasuke warm up to him: like when Naruto actually listened to Sasuke’s opinions on any matter, not afraid in agreeing or disagreeing with them and smirking when he made a point that was difficult for Sasuke to refute. Or when he played with Sasuke’s fingers absentmindedly when he found himself bored, because physical contact came naturally to him, and he was unable to remain still for long periods of time. Or the way Naruto seemed to influence anyone around him, that even their supervisor, Shikamaru, seemed to smile easier when Naruto was involved.

But more than that, it was the light in Naruto’s eyes while talking about the things and people he cared about what Sasuke found himself fascinated by. Sasuke learnt about Naruto’s friends back in his hometown, about their highschool experiences together and how he still missed them despite it being years since he moved into the city. 

He learnt that he had recently been introduced to a video game by one of their co-workers, and that Shino was even lending him his console to play it. Sasuke learnt about Naruto’s dad and his dad’s boyfriend, who had been his former primary school teacher and high school teacher respectively, and how much he loved them, even when the latter one had made it his hobby to tease Naruto at any given opportunity.

He learnt that Naruto’s favourite food was ramen, which he loved with a passion, and that he had a predilection for orange clothes and accessories. Sasuke learnt about the pictures that Naruto kept of himself and his parents before the accident, as well as the necklace that Iruka had given him when he graduated from primary school.

Sasuke learnt about the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes that appeared every time he smiled, and the way he would pout a bit while overthinking something. He learnt that he licked his lips when nervous and the frown that he would wear when he had to be patient.

Or the way Naruto’s expression would soften every time Sasuke decided to talk about himself, which made it difficult for Sasuke to focus on what he was saying.

And so Naruto would wear his feelings on his face and Sasuke would stare, every time, and the warmth in his chest would increasingly grow until it was a significant flame, burning hotly with want and affection and all the blazing symptoms of love.

Maybe, Sasuke thought, taking a break would do him some good, to use this new free time of his to rearrange his feelings and find some new hobbies to distract him and, if that didn’t work, to drink to forget. It was a plan that sounded good enough for Sasuke.

A plan that vanished from his mind the second he heard a voice calling his name, a voice he was familiar with, after months of listening to it endlessly.

“Sasuke!” 

The voice called from the direction he had come from and Sasuke stood still for a second to compose himself, knowing who it was before turning. Blond hair and tanned skin filled his vision and sky blue eyes met his almost instantly, shining with relief as Naruto smiled, steps faltering as he finally reached Sasuke’s side, breathing slightly laboured after running.

“You left early,” Naruto said, stating a fact rather than scolding him, and Sasuke envied how relaxed he sounds when he could barely breathe over the knot in his throat. “I thought I almost missed you, your duck-butt hairstyle is difficult to spot at night!”

“You didn’t have to follow me,” Sasuke said and his comment does come out a bit harsh, defensive, like one does when they feel vulnerable and in a desperate need to shield themselves from the rest. “The rest will miss you.”

But Naruto brushed it off, long since the point he could have been intimidated by Sasuke’s biting remarks, and continued walking by his side, shrugging a bit in response to Sasuke’s comment.

“It was kinda noisy,” he said and his voice is softer, as if he was confessing. “Also, I wanted to have some time alone with you,” His breath hitched a bit. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

Sasuke hummed, because what does someone even respond to such an admission? And even if he knew what to say, he wasn’t sure he would be able to formulate the words, his throat closed at the idea of Naruto leaving after him because he wanted to spend some time with him, because there was something important left for him to say. So Sasuke nodded slightly, as if granting permission to continue, despite the feeling of trepidation at the uncertainty of what it could be.

And then Naruto told him how he was probably moving to another department next year, moving to another floor entirely in the same company because their boss had noticed that his abilities would be better used in another field. How Sakura got to know and arranged that little party for them to spend one last day together as coworkers and how Naruto decided to call it a christmas party instead because he didn’t want all the attention on himself. And for a moment Sasuke felt like an idiot for leaving early from Naruto’s goodbye party, but the blonde waved away his apology, assuring Sasuke that he took no offense and that he actually gave him the perfect opportunity to shy away from it.

“I also want to thank you, some months ago I wouldn’t have hoped to be as close to Sakura as I am right now,” he said, hands in his pants’ pockets and gaze focused on the pavement in front of him. “You know, to be treated as an equal that easily, with me being a newbie and all of that.” 

And he smiled, but it's different, it felt different, and Sasuke just stared, unable to decipher why. 

“And now she arranges a party for me, I’m moved.” 

The jab of his finger against Sasuke’s chest hurt like a knife stabbing his heart.

“And it is all thanks to you.”

“Shouldn’t you be with her now?” Sasuke said, and he hated how much effort it took him to say those words. How his voice cracked at the end. “So your efforts don’t go to waste,” he added, pitifully.

And Naruto shrugged, as if he didn't care, as if she hadn't been the whole reason he had approached Sasuke in the first place.

“Nah,” he replied and Sasuke can feel his gaze on him, burning his skin like the sun that not even the cool night air can soothe. “They aren’t.”

Sasuke's feet seem to be glued to the pavement, heavy as the air between them and Naruro stopped in front of him, blue eyes looking straight at Sasuke, not giving him a chance to run away, to deflect. Naruto had come ready, Sasuke realised, for this battle that he didn’t even know they were having, and Sasuke, with his overwhelming feelings and racy heart, had no chance of winning.

“It is true that I approached you with Sakura in mind,” Naruto started, because he has so much to tell Sasuke that night, things that he had been wanting to tell him for a long time. “She seemed fond of you and I couldn’t figure out why, you seemed distant and cold towards everyone. Kind of an asshole even.” His voice was heavy with honest affection. “But then I got to know you and I learnt to read the unspoken words behind every comment, how sometimes you preferred to remain silent, not because you felt bored by the conversation but because you didn’t know what to say. The way your hands are always so honest, and they tense and twitch and yet you allow me to hold them in mine without hesitation.”

“And it is annoying that you don’t have to put much effort in anything, because you are a genius like that, but more annoying is how handsome you look when focused. And I like that you let me speak without end sometimes but stop me when I start to say something mean about myself.”

"And then months passed and Sakura was the one turned into an excuse to see _you_. To expend more time with you because It wasn't enough and I wasn’t sure why, I just knew that spending time with you made me happy and it took me many more weeks to realise that I wanted to get closer to you in a way friends aren't.” 

How cruel, Sasuke thought, for Naruto to let Sasuke hanging onto a fool's hope, to let him think that there was a real possibility, that his straight crush could actually -

“And here I am now, and maybe it’s because we won’t get to see each other daily anymore that I’m thinking of telling you this, in case you reject me and decide to cut ties, but the thing is,” Naruto licked his lips, blue eyes raising to meet his. “I don’t actually want to stop seeing you, Sasuke." 

That Naruto could actually -

“I like you,” Naruto said, and the air left Sasuke's lungs. “I like spending time with you, I like listening to your voice and even the way you frown, and I like your, sometimes brutal, opinions and - ” 

And Naruto takes a breath because air has seemed to have left him too. 

“I think I might even love you.” He whispered, “I’ve never -” 

It is then that Naruto’s voice finally broke, words failing him as he got overwhelmed by the intensity of his own feelings, of daring to say it all out loud, and Sasuke stared, stared at the blush on his cheeks and the trembling of his hands and stared some more for a few seconds before realising that no more sounds would come out of Naruto’s gaping mouth.

And then there’s silence, as Naruto tried to gather himself and waited for Sasuke’s reaction, finally accepting that he won’t be able to say anything else.

And there’s so much for Sasuke to say, so much that he wanted to say, feelings and thoughts that weigh heavy on his heart, but he didn’t think he could voice them all out right now, and it is ridiculous, because, _of course_ , Naruto never failed in leaving him speechless, even when he wanted to reciprocate his confession.

And so Sasuke said the only thing that encapsulated everything that was going inside his head right then, and the words rolled easily from his tongue, and it felt right.

“I love you,” Sasuke said and he isn’t ashamed. Because he thought he would never get to tell him and now he had the opportunity and Sasuke couldn't leave it. 

And it’s the right course of action, to not just _leave it_ , because those words set their fate in stone. It interlaced their lives together in ways they ween’t aware of yet.

It secured them a first date full of nervous glances and flustered expressions and a first kiss that made them feel butterflies in their stomachs as if they were teenagers all over again. It secured them late nights texting each other and video calls when they were away and couldn't see each other. It secured them goodnight wishes through calls and passionate kisses when they visited each other’s apartment.

It secured a seat for Naruto in the Uchiha’s dinner table and a plus one invitation for Sasuke to Naruto’s dad’s wedding ceremony. It secured them a new apartment a bit far away from their workplace but close enough to the park where Naruto would find a street dog he would eventually adopt. It secured fights because Kurama keeps destroying Sasuke’s boots and Naruto won’t stop spoiling him.

It would secure them mornings where they wake up in each other’s arms, followed by easy morning routines on the weekdays and cuddles and whispered conversations on the weekends.

It secured eventually a golden ring hidden in their wardrobe and an euphoric “yes” that even the neighbours would be able to hear.

But for now, it secured a blinding smile in Naruto’s face and a fond look in Sasuke’s, and it’s as perfect as it can be, it’s a good start.

Cheeks flushed as they search for each other’s fingers to intertwine them with their own, they made the rest of the walk to the bus stop together, their way illuminated by the silver moonlight and their conversation drowned to any other pedestrian by the sound of the waves.

And despite the cold breeze, Naruto’s hand feels warm in Sasuke’s as he lead him into the night.

Days later, Sasuke sat next to his mother and one of his aunts, and he’s about to dig into his turkey when the question pops up, turning the table silent. But Sasuke doesn’t flinch, he only turns to glare at his brother, who had made the question despite their conversation earlier that day and Sasuke wished for Itachi to burn his tongue on his tea, if only to make him stop grinning.

"Are you seeing someone, Sasuke?"

And that Christmas, to the surprise of all the Uchihas gathered, Sasuke said _yes_. 

FIN.


End file.
